Hanger for trousers

ABSTRACT

This invention is a one piece hanger for garments having waistbands. The hanger has a cross-beam which is carried by a centrally located hook; and, from each end of the beam, three cooperating fingers depend for gripping the waist-band. Each finger is provided with three spaced, outwardly projecting ribs for retaining the waist-band. A horizontal supporting bar can be provided below the fingers so that lengthy garments may be folded over it.

United States Patent 1 1 Hart 1451 July 10, 1973 1 HANGER FOR TROUSERS [75] Inventor: Robert L. Hart, Manhasset Hills,

[73] Assignee: W. R. Grace & Co., Duncan, SC.

[22] Filed: June 14, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 152,772

[52] U.S. Cl. 223/96, 24/255 G [51] Int. Cl. A47j 51/14 [58] Field of Search 223/91, 96, 95; 211/89; 24/255 AS, 255 G, 261 GC, 261 GF [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,225,978 12/1965 Wach 223/91 1/1965 Levine et a1. 223/91 3,502,251 3/1970 Hart 223196 3,350,754 11/1967 Ballenger et al..... 223/96 X 3,157,325 11/1964 Schaefer ..223/91 Primary Examinen-George H. Krizmanich Attorney-John J. Toney; William D, Lee, Jr. and

Edward J. Hanson, Jr. [57] ABSTRACT This invention is a one piece hanger for garments having waistbands. The hanger has a cross-beam which is carried by a centrally located hook; and, from each end of the beam, three co-operating fingers depend for gripping the waist-band. Each finger is provided with three spaced, outwardly projecting ribs for retaining the waist-band. A horizontal supporting bar can be providedbelow the fingers so that lengthy garments may be folded over it.

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to one-piece hangers for trousers, skirts, and the like. In particular, the invention relates to hangers which display trousers for retail sales in a manner which shows all of the significant features of the trousers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The prior art is replete with all types of garment hangers, each having its good qualities and its drawbacks. For example, the hanger disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,047,196 issued on July 31, 1962 to B. B. Levine et al. shows a hanger which employs three depending gripping fingers at each end of a horizontal web or beam. The Levine et al. hanger is of one-piece construction and is readily adaptable for gripping the waistband of a garment. However, this prior art hanger like many others in the prior art has the deficiency that it does not securely and tightly grip the garment, i.e., the fingers do not have sufficient gripping means so that a garment could be placed on a display rack and removed and examined several times without falling off. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hanger which will retain a garment securely after numerous examinations of the garment by prospective customers in a retail display.

Another prior art hanger which can be adapted for gripping the waist-band of a garment or other portion of the garment is shown in US. Pat. No. 3,406,833 issued to W. B. Crane on Oct. 22, 1968. This prior art hanger provides a positive gripping of the garment, but it is of a multiple piece construction and is unnecessarily complex and expensive in its assembly. Also, even thisprior art hanger does not provide adequate garment gripping means on all its surfaces which contact the garment so as to provide a completely secure hold on the garment. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a hanger which has secure garment gripping means on all its waist-band contacting surfaces.

The prospective customer for trousers is interested in all of the features of the trousers. This includes the construction of the belt loops, the manner in which the pockets are set in, and the shape and style of the leg and cuff portion of the trousers. In the hangers in the prior art a customer normally sees only one portion of the trousers without having to remove them from the display rack. Therefore, it is another object of the present invention to provide a hanger which will advantageously display the features of the trousers.

These and other objects are accomplished by my invention which is summarized below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION the same direction. Each finger may be provided with a plurality of ribs and a preferred number of ribs is three. The outer surface of each rib can be provided with friction means for further securing the garment. In

a more limited aspect, the present invention is a onepiece hanger for trousers and the like which comprises,

a hook, a horizontal cross-beam suspended by the hook, and waistband gripping means depending from each end of the cross-bean. The waist-band gripping means comprises two spaced apart outer fingers which are joined at their lower extremities to form a U-shaped member. The U-shaped member is in a plane displaced to the side of the plane of the cross-beam. Also included in the waistband gripping means is a finger centrally. located with respect to the two outer fingers and the central finger is displaced to the other side of the cross-beam and is curved as it depends from the crossbeam. On the surfaces of each of the fingers, cooperating means are provided for securing the waist-band of trousers and the like between the fingers. The cooper ating means comprises a plurality of ribs projecting out wardly from coextensive portions of the lower part of each of the fingers.

In still another aspect, the present invention is a dis play hanger for trousers and the: like which provides means for securely gripping the waist-band of the trousers and means for displaying the: leg and cuff portion of the trousers.

All of the aspects of my invention may be better un- DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS I In the drawings which are attached heretoand which form a portion of the disclosure of my invention:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of my one-piece hanger;

FIG. 2is a broken fragment of the reverse side of the hanger of FIG. 1 showing one of the gripping means;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front plan view is another embodiment of a hanger according to my invention including means for displaying the trouser leg and cuff portion;

FIG. 7 is the back plan view of the hanger shown in FIG. 6; and,

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hanger of FIG. 6 showing a pair of trousers secured to said hanger.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS For a description of the preferred embodiments reference is first made to FIG. 1. Hanger 1 is shown with cross-beam 19 carried by hook 2 having waist-band,

gripping means depending from each end of crossbeam 19. The gripping means comprises the two spaced apart outer fingers 7 and 21 and central finger 6. The cooperating means for securing the waist-band of trousers which comprises a plurality of ribs is shown In FIG. 2 the reverse side of one of the grouping means of the hanger of FIG. 1 as shown. The securing ribs 11, 12 and 13 are shown here on the central resilient finger.

In FIG. 3 which is a sectional view of the hanger of FIG. 1 looking along lines 3-3, the displacement of fingers 6 and 7 from the plane of cross-beam 19 can be clearly seen. The central resilient finger 6 is attached to one side of the cross-beam and as it depends it goes through the plane of the cross-beam and into and coincident with the plane of outer finger '7. Outer finger 7 is attached to the other side of cross-beam 19 and depends straight downwardly in a plane displaced to one side of the plane of cross-beam 19. Indentations 15 in the outer surfaces of ribs 12 and 16 serve as additional friction means for securely holding the waist-band of a garment. In FIG. 3 the cross section of the connecting bar 22 which carries the auxiliary rib 18 is also seen.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 4 the displacement of outer finger 7 from crossbeam 19 can be appreciated and, also shown is the friction means 15 on ribs 17.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along line 55 of FIG. 1. The arrangement and detailed construction of ribs 11, 12, and 13 of central resilient finger 6 are presented here.

Returning now to FIG. 1, when hanger l is used to support a garment by its waist-band, a portion of the waist-band will be looped over ribs 8, 9, and 10 on outer finger 21; under resilient finger 6 where it contacts ribs 11, 12, and 13; and then back out over ribs 16, 17, and 18 on outer fingers 7. The waist-band will be approximately parallel to the cross-beam 19 as it stretches across to the other garment gripping means at the other end of cross-beam 19. Central finger 6 is resilient and may be displaced in order to put the garment in the gripping means and to remove it therefrom. Outer fingers 7 and 21 which are connected by connecting bar 22 are relatively stiff and immobile as compared to finger 6. Preferably, the one-piece construction of my invention is achieved by injection molding the hanger from a thermoplastic material such as polypropylene. However, it is within the scope of my invention that other plastic materials may also be used and the hanger according to my invention could even be made from molded light-weight metal. All of the molding techniques are well within the skill of those familiar with injection molding.

Turning now to FIG. 6, another embodiment of the present invention is shown. Hanger 31 has cross-beam 30 to which is centrally attached hanger hook 32. Waist-band gripping means depend from each end of cross-beam 30. One means comprises the two outer fingers 33 and the central resilient finger 34. Outer fingers 33 are connected below resilient finger 34 to form a U- shaped member. Outer fingers 33 have,on their lower portion, cooperating means for securing the waist-band of trousers and these means are the ribs 35, 36, and 37. Still viewing FIG. 6 and turning to the waist-band gripping means at the other end of cross-beam 30, it will be seen that a connecting member 39 is connected to outer finger 38 and the connecting member 39 extends outwardly and downwardly from its juncture with the connecting bar and outer finger 38. Horizontal supporting bar 41 is attached in cantilever fashion to the end of connecting member 39. An upturned tip 40 is provided at the end of supporting bar 41.

FIG. 7 is a reverse side of the hanger shown in FIG. 6; and, when viewing the hanger from this side, the securing ribs 42, 43, and 44 on the reverse side of the resilient finger 34 can be seen. Also, in this view the spade-like tip of resilient finger 34 can be fully seen.

FIG. 8 shows the hanger 31 of FIG. 6 with a pair of trousers 45 suspended thereby. The waist-band 46 of the trousers goes through the two waist-band gripping means which depend from each end of the crossbeam of hanger 31. The novel securing means for the waistband of the trousers ensures that the trousers stay firmly and positively in place on hanger 31 through repeated movement and manual handling. As can be seen in FIG. 8, the trousers hang down from their waistband, make one loop, and come back over the horizontal supporting bar 41 from which the remainder of the trousers hangs free. The 'tip at the end of hanger 41 keeps the trouser leg from sliding off that end of supporting bar 41 when the hanger is tilted at an angle. When placed on hanger 31 in the manner shown in FIG. 8, trousers 45 are displayed to their best advantage. The waist-band area with the belt loops can be clearly seen, the construction of the pockets is readily visible, the shape of the trouser leg is easily observed, and the presence of cuffs can be quickly determined.

While my invention has been principally described with reference to trousers, it can be also used for skirts or other garments which can be suspended from a reinforced part of the garment such as the waist-band.

I claim:

1. A one piece hanger for trousers and the like comprising:

a. a hook;

b. a horizontal cross-beam suspended by said hook;

c. waist-band gripping means depending from each end of said cross-beam, each gripping means comprising:

i. two spaced apart outer fingers having a connecting bar joining their lower extremities to form a U-shaped member, the two outer fingers of said U-shaped member joining said cross-beam so as to be displaced to one side of said cross-beam;

ii. a central resilient finger joined to said crossbeam so as to be displaced to the other side of said cross-beam, said central finger being curved as it depends from said cross-beam, said curvature bringing a portion of the lower part of said central finger into the plane of said outer fingers, said central finger reversing its curvature thereafter and terminating in a rounded outwardly projecting tip; and,

iii. co-operating means for securing the waist-band of trousers between said fingers, said securing means comprising a plurality of vertically disposed ribs outwardly projecting from coextensive portions of the lower part of each of said fingers, said ribs on said outer fingers projecting from one direction into the plane of said cross-beam, the ribs on said central finger projecting in the opposite direction; and, each rib rising at its lower terminus from the surface of the respective finger in a smooth, continuous curve until it reaches its maximum outward projection on said finger at which point the rib terminates in a line extending perpendicularly outwardly from said finger.

2. The hanger of claim 1 wherein each of said fingers is provided with three outwardly projecting ribs.

3. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the lower portion of each central finger which carries said securing means is broadened to form a spade-like tip.

4. The hanger of claim 1 wherein each of said ribs is provided with friction means for holding a waist-band. portions of the lower part of each of said fingers, 5. A one piece hanger for trousers and the like comsaid ribs on said outer fingers projecting from prising: one direction into the plane of said cross-beam, a. a hook; the ribs on said central finger projecting in the b. a horizontal cross-beam suspended by said hook; 5 opposite direction; and, said rib extending for a c. waist-band gripping means depending from each minor portion of said fingers length;

end of said cross-beam, each gripping means comd. a connecting member extending outwardly and prising:

i. two spaced apart outer fingers having a connecting bar joining their lower extremities to form a U-shaped member, the two outer fingers of said downwardly from one of the outside junctures of a connecting bar andlouter finger, said connecting member being in the same plane as said outer fingers; and,

U-shaped member joining said cross-beam so as to be displaced to one side of said cross-beam;

ii. a central resilient finger joined to said crossbeam so as to be displaced to the other side of said cross-beam, said central finger being curved as it depends from said cross-beam, said curvature bringing a portion of the lower part of said central finger into the plane of said outer fingers, said central finger reversing its curvature thereafter and terminating in a rounded outwardly projecting tip;

e. a horizontal supporting bar cantileverly carried by said connecting member, said. supporting bar being in the same plane as said outer fingers whereby the leg portion of a pair of trousers may be folded thereover.

6. The hanger of claim 5 wherein said connecting member and said supporting bar form an acute angle of approximately 55.

7. The hanger of claim 5 wherein there is a plurality of securing ribs on each finger and each central finger has a broadened, spake-like tip.

iii. co-operating means for securing the waist-band 8. The hanger of claim 5 including, at the unsupof trousers between said fingers, said securing ported end of said supporting bar, and upturned tip for means comprising a plurality of vertically disretaining trousers on said bar. posed ribs outwardly projecting from coextensive 

1. A one piece hanger for trousers and the like comprising: a. a hook; b. a horizontal cross-beam suspended by said hook; c. waist-band gripping means depending from each end of said cross-beam, each gripping means comprising: i. two spaced apart outer fingers having a connecting bar joining their lower extremities to form a U-shaped member, the two outer fingers of said U-shaped member joining said crossbeam so as to be displaced to one side of said cross-beam; ii. a central resilient finger joined to said cross-beam so as to be displaced to the other side of said cross-beam, said central finger being curved as it depends from said crossbeam, said curvature bringing a portion of the lower part of said central finger into the plane of said outer fingers, said central finger reversing its curvature thereafter and terminating in a rounded outwardly projecting tip; and, iii. co-operating means for securing the waist-band of trousers between said fingers, said securing means comprising a plurality of vertically disposed ribs outwardly projecting from coextensive portions of the lower part of each of said fingers, said ribs on said outer fingers projecting from one direction into the plane of said cross-beam, the ribs on said central finger projecting in the opposite direction; and, each rib rising at its lower terminus from the surface of the respective finger in a smooth, continuous curve until it reaches its maximum outward projection on said finger at which point the rib terminates in a line extending perpendicularly outwardly from said finger.
 2. The hanger of claim 1 wherein each of said fingers is provided with three outwardly projecting ribs.
 3. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the lower portion of each central finger which carries said securing means is broadened to form a spade-like tip.
 4. The hanger of claim 1 wherein each of said ribs is provided with friction means for holding a waist-band.
 5. A one piece hanger for trousers and the like comprising: a. a hook; b. a horizontal cross-beam suspended by said hook; c. waist-band gripping means depending from each end of said cross-beam, each gripping means comprising: i. two spaced apart outer fingers having a connecting bar joining their lower extremities to form a U-shaped member, the two outer fingers of said U-shaped member joining said cross-beam so as to be displaced to one side of said cross-beam; ii. a central resilient finger joined to said cross-beam so as to be displaced to the other side of said cross-beam, said central finger being curved as it depends from said cross-beam, said curvature bringing a portion of the lower part of said central finger into the plane of said outer fingers, said central finger reversing its curvature thereafter and terminating in a rounded outwardly projecting tip; iii. co-operating means for securing the waist-band of trousers between said fingers, said securing means comprising a plurality of vertically disposed ribs outwardly projecting from coextensive portions of the lower part of each of said fingers, said ribs on said outer fingers projecting from one direction into the plane of said cross-beam, the ribs on said central finger projecting in the opposite direction; and, said rib extending for a minor portion of said finger''s length; d. a connecting member extending outwardly and downwardly from one of the outside junctures of a connecting bar and outer finger, said connecting member being in the same plane as said outer fingers; and, e. a horizontal supporting bar cantileverly carried by said connecting mEmber, said supporting bar being in the same plane as said outer fingers whereby the leg portion of a pair of trousers may be folded thereover.
 6. The hanger of claim 5 wherein said connecting member and said supporting bar form an acute angle of approximately 55* .
 7. The hanger of claim 5 wherein there is a plurality of securing ribs on each finger and each central finger has a broadened, spake-like tip.
 8. The hanger of claim 5 including, at the unsupported end of said supporting bar, and upturned tip for retaining trousers on said bar. 